COTABATO CITY – Families displaced from two municipalities in Maguindanao del Norte during the 2000 “all-out war” will soon own dignified homes after the Bangsamoro Government’s Ministry of Human Settlements and Development (MHSD) broke ground for 100 resettlement housing units in Barira and Buldon.
MHSD Deputy Minister and Officer-in-Charge Minister Aldin Asiri and Director General Esmael Ebrahim, on Feb. 7, led separate groundbreaking ceremonies for 50 housing units in each municipality.
Funded under the Special Development Fund 2024, each unit will have a 49-square-meter floor area with three bedrooms, a living and dining area, an outdoor kitchen, and a bathroom. The project also includes the construction of an entrance archway and a Level II solar-powered water system.
“This is a clear manifestation and testament to the continuous delivery of housing and human settlements in the BARMM. The fruit of teamwork and collaboration,” Asiri said.
“We, at the MHSD, as our late Minister Atty. Hamid Aminoddin D. Barra would always say – we not only make houses: we make homes, we make communities,” he added.
The projects will be implemented through a Memorandum of Understanding signed between MHSD and the local government units of Barira and Buldon, recognizing the historical significance of the areas where Camp Abubakar of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is located.
In March 2000, then President Joseph Estrada declared an “all-out war” against the MILF, leading to intense fighting in Central Mindanao, which resulted to the capture of Camp Abubakar and the displacement of thousands of families.
Meanwhile, DG Ebrahim said the housing units are designed to be resilient to natural disasters, with standard construction materials to ensure the structures will not crumble during earthquakes or be damaged by strong winds.
Buldon Mayor Pahmia Manalao-Masurong said the municipality shares the BARMM government’s goal of serving constituents and sustaining development.
“Fifty units are not enough for all those in need, but we will prioritize the neediest of the needy and, in shaa Allah, continue to roll out such housing projects to reach every family in need, in partnership with the MHSD,” the mayor said.
Local government officials, security forces, barangay officials, and community members attended the groundbreaking ceremonies. (Myrna Tepadan / MHSD / BIO)
20
